Just some of what's important to me

Consumption is such a small part of my life that there are many other things that are much more important to me. When I came to think about what they are, I found that they divided between those things I personally find important and those that I consider to be universally valuable, and there are many of both. I could have included friendship, family, home-cooked food, singing, growing vegetables, grasshoppers in the grass that’s kept long, living on a quiet street, and getting around on foot, among others, in the personal list; and equality in all its forms, a free(ish) press, the rights to political participation and peaceful protest, compassion, community, trees, and much else, in the universal list.

Making's much more fun than buying

Discovering the environmental destruction caused by material consumption has given me an aversion to buying new stuff. Now I get far more enjoyment from making things from resources to hand, eg, clothes from off-cuts and cast-offs, a tablet case from woven scraps, a garden pool and water feature from an old tub and a beach-combed piece of ceramic pipe.

Every front garden can contribute to the protection and nurture of the natural world

This Creative Challenge happens to coincide with the Extinction Rebellion climate change and ecocide protest in London at which I got this ‘patch’ with the wonderful expression “Conscientious Protector”; it is something I try hard to be.

Live On Purpose Challenge

I am part of a company called On Purpose – a community that puts purpose before profit within organisations. I would like to create a Weekly Challenge for a broader audience to also engage on the ‘Living On Purpose’ challenge. I would like to encourage people to write down on a sheet of paper what is their purpose in life/ or what is the purpose their are currently engaged with. I feel that when we write it down and show to the world we can move forward with more confidence and support as we realize we are not alone; we are part of a community that also wants to bring positive change to the world.

Do: Make an acrostic poem with your name to describe yourself. Write your name out vertically down the page and use the letter to start off your sentence. What can you make with you name? Remember don’t worry about it being good. Share whatever you want to about you. Don’t spend longer than 5-10 minutes. Have some fun!

Think: How was using your name as the framework for your poem? Did you find it helpful or restrictive? Did you find any new adjectives to describe yourself?

Share: Share your poem with us. Don’t forget to tell us what it was like doing it. You can tag #64MillionArtists or mention us.

If you have more time …
Try your last name too. You could continue on from your last poem or start afresh.